#be nice or ill hunt you for sport

[undermostcorgi]

the media which consumes your entire soul at age 12 will forever be a part of you. this is an unavoidable consequence of living and you have to accept this fact. no matter how old you get, no matter how long it has been since you last saw its smug face peeking out from the bushes as it follows you, no matter if you think you have outrun it for good and that you're finally finally safe and you hardly even remember it exists anymore and your brain knows a few brief moments of true peace, it WILL catch up to you in your moment of weakness. and listen you don't want to hear this but sometimes this is necessary for your mental health. you will on instinct want to reject it and run away again but sometimes. sometimes you just need to watch that old show or listen to that silly song or read that weird book again as an adult and it will hurt you a little bit in various little ways but it will also heal you a little bit. you can call it nostalgia you can call it connecting with your inner child or whatever you want but just listen to me it WILL HAPPEN TO YOU TOO AT SOME POINT AND YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR THIS (i am forcibly dragged off the stage by security)

[rzyraffek]

Slashers with y/n that just gets along with everything

Like slasher could litteraly kill somone near y/n and she would be like alr alr whats really important is that you are happy🤠😎. Im sorry that first 2character had super long headcanons while last ones have way less :( I had no ideas Request open!

Billy Lenz

He always expects some sort of negative response when he calls people and when he heard new voice on the Phone he got even more exited cuz new person new reaction! He totally didnt expect her to just go "yeah yeah sure buddy, anyways... how is your day man? Cuz im so so tired...*starts normal converstation*

He probably tries to stay in character but he is so caught of Guard he doesnt know how to react really (hehe the table has turn)

Now he kinda hopes that she will pick up cuz shes very intresting😈 billy likey

"Ew its this creep again! He is asking for you y/n? Of please dont tell me you befriended him??" "So what? He said hes favourite fruit is strawberry he cant be that bad!" *billy saying slurs on the phone*

You need to constantly tell him that, no Billy no harrasing women isnt sexy, you arent quirky, you are mentally ill

"Y/n i killed that bitch that was gossiping about you 🧍 " "👍good for you billy im glad you found healthy way to cope with that negative emotion😇" "on god"

His whole moral compass is created around the simple question 'does it hurt y/n?' .1:no it doesnt so feel free to do it .2 do not do it, she will ban Billy from sweets (bad ending)

The man from hush

This guy. This dude. This Little gremlin. He is upset that he gets no reaction! Like please oh please act all angy when he 'acidently' shot tire in her car! But oh no ofc no, she had to be like "oh its okay honey i have backup in garage🥰" hes like HHUH SINCE WHEN WE HAVE GARAGE

Like tbh thats how i imagine how they met: he saw her, he wanted to hunt her, she was so chill that she didnt even leave her household while the power was off and he went inside and just saw her having lil nap on couch. 🧍🤨erm exuse me gurl im trying to roleplay epic hunter here tf

He probably kidnaped her cuz she was too weird to just kill her but he didnt want to risk her calling police. He probably tied her up and yeeted her on backseats. And then she begun judging music on the radio"yo big guy can i get some good music taste?" "What? Whats wrong with Taylor Swift?"

He will overshare everything to kinda check where is her limit if it comes to being chill "yeah so i killed this old lady.." "im sure you had good reason🥰" "🤨... anyways... yeah so i was drinking some redbull when some guy said i look ugly so i shoot his head off and-" "HEY HEY hold up geez you CANT drink Energy drinks?? Bestie you know it is unhealthy?? Also you like hunt for sport it will ruin your condition!? How you gonna shoot people with shakey hands?? You crazy or something?" "Damn😔"

Micheal myers

I tried to put him here but i realised he will be as chill as her.

Like he can give her gifts covered in blood and she' just going to clean it and wear it like nothing happened or completley ignore it

He cares about this stuff as much as y/n so like not at all. I mean tbh theres is a bit of difrence: shes at least positive about it! Like "yeah micheal go for it, love🥰😇 i know its hard to cope with trauma take it all out alr?" Shes trying to be a good supporting gf not her fault she never had serial killer bf!

Brahms Heelshire

He lives for attention! What do you mean the war crime he commited this lunch break is okay!?!? Baby pleasee

But this negativity disapears the moment he realised he can get a lot of positive attention when he will do some nice stuff! "Oh honey I didnt kill any rats today" "oh that's amazing brahms I'm sure you and the rats inside walls will get along well soon🥰" (rats in walls bully brahms)

Please complement him or he will get a tantrum and destroy something

Brahms and rats have very hard past i might do seperate hc about that

Ghostface

"Look babe! My newest victim *shows photo*" "ugh baby...😰 you NEED to buy new camera or watch some youtube tutorials about how to take good photos" "aw man whats wrong with my pictures 😔"

Otherwise y/n supports his hobbies! People need to grow😇 (and he needs to grow up)

If theres 2ghostfaces(like in most movies) they will bet money on how long you gonna keep this 'do whatever as long as youre happy' act. Well they didnt know that this wasnt an act but her personality

Also they will probably try to use this chillnes aginst her like "oooh y/n something terrible happened! I crushed my car oh what will i do!" "Alr bestie i will drive you over there😇" "😈omg you are so nice i totally didnt expect that(heheh i dont need to pay for gas today (hes very evil))

[boxheadpaint]

diary post baby. Heavier than usual or at least probably but i dont know or remember a good portion of the things ive ever said about myself on this line. For the normal guys though i had fun making that comic, usually when i get the motivation to make anything in that format i get pretty bummed about it pretty quickly simply because of the paneling

its fun to imagine making dynamic pages of comic panels, but when you have no experience beyond trying to make manga in your teens you mostly just have the squares/rectangles stacked next to eachother. for anyone else this is fine and isnt boring to look at by its nature alone, but for me i always believe that my own work would be too dull and unexciting to eye-catching to even bother reading. trying to just lose that pressure i give myself for a day and make something silly like some animals looking at eachother is nice

one of the things i kept hearing from my own head during the call about The Good News Of Getting Disability Income And Payment For The Time I Wasn't Recieving Benefits, was that i needed to kill myself for some reason. my body reacts badly to experiencing a lot of things, though of course its worst when its negative feelings. not even particularly strong ones, maybe a little nervous or a little mad and it likes to tremble or tense up totally. i dont know why exactly i reacted in this particular way other than the usual "what do you mean i dont need to freak out about this anymore. what am i going to do with all this freaking out juice? just chug it?"

im worried lately that ive built up too much of a tolerance to my sertraline, if thats something that happens. but i dont know for sure, and i dont know what ill do if that is the case. maybe it is still working and i just cant tell because even though its bad things would be much worse if i stopped taking it. it just feels like these days it doesnt do anything to help me feel better or more in control. can i speedrun making it work again by going cold turkey for a week and then getting back on it so my brain is like wow this awfulness stopped after i took this awesome pills.

can i give the money i recieve from social security to someone else to save? is that legal? or do they hunt you down for sport for doing that. what if you wanted to buy a house. or rent a house. Or just fucking live somewhere because these days prices are fucking absurd. ridiculous even.

hey girl, rat piss. hey girl, rat piss. I realize other than the blue puppy video i havent posted anything for pride. partly of anxieties of course, especially given the Great track record of the site withing the past month, but also straight up forgetfulness. I keep forgetting too many things and being too tired to remember. At night though i can do just about anything. I think ill take a nap and then wake up at 2 am to keep drawing. I have things to draw

6/24/2024

[youngestdaughtersyndrome]

Havent done a catch up post in a while ..... its like 90F/30C over here every day which would be fine if it wasnt also humid or if i didnt live in an old house thats ill equipped for heat but nonetheless here i am surrounded by box fans like theyre hunting me for sport. Apparently itll get a little cooler this week so thatll be nice. Currently in the middle of my annual moby dick reread and it really just gets more interesting every time i read it.... also i think moby dick has effectively become the brussel sprouts of classic lit like people talk a big game about how much they suck but the song theyre singing changes when u add things like bacon (context of melvilles life) and jam (a lens for critical analysis). Trying to stay hydrated. Hoping my parents go out of town for another week soon so i can lay in the sun without feeling weird and bad. Getting really into smoothies like ice cubes yogurt frozen fruit (usually blueberries) little bit of lemon or lime juice top that off with some honey and its a chilled delight. If you were here for last summer u might remember my single pair of shorts that i made out of jeans in like 6th grade.... theyre still the only shorts i have (need to make a new pair soon) and they literally get shorter by the day to the point where one side of them just straight up doesnt have an inseam anymore. They were borderline daisy dukes last year but now yeah theyre fully hot pants. Starting to remember the fallacy of these posts is that they actually do any sort of catching up because my life doesnt change one bit tbh. Life continues .... i am subject to its current and the bounties of the world meet me where i am. And with that kiss kiss goodnight blog squad see u all in the morning <3<3<3<3<3

[real-odark]

25apcsb enjoyers listen to me talk about(/kind of review it for you? except not really because i will never say anything bad about this production) my favorite production of the show!

ever.

MAD theater i LOVE YOU.

i saw their production live (the first time ive ever seen this show live or a production by this company) and it was AMAZING. this is my favorite cast for this show hands down and let me show you some stuff and why you should love them, too !!

(IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ME TALK ABOUT IT/WOULD RATHER SEE THE CAST, I HAVE PICTURES AND A VIDEO NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE POST!!)

here are all of the spellers! arent they the cutest :3 they all portray their characters PERFECTLY, and im currently on a hunt to see all of them in more performances because WOW . i know the point of the show is for it to be obvious these arent preteens playing them but all three of the girls were so cute honestly id trust them if they said they were it was so good. im gonna talk about all of them too !;;

their leaf was obsessed with sonic (sporting a nice sonic cape), and had a very good dynamic with every character and audience member he interacted with ! he say by me when he was eliminated and we talked a bit, and met his actor after the show. ALSO, playing logainne's dad with his soda and being the soccer mom ever is 100% approved by me . the way he effortlessly exchanged between the two roles was . AH.

olive was PERFECT. i cried at the i love you song so bad her little pom poms and im just mhejkn, her fidgeting with the strings of her cat hoodie whenever she was nervous was a great detail just small things like that

CHIP. chip chip chip. boy scout of the year, and JESUS ON A SCOOTER. he was so sassy and his little shenanigans made this character so good hed bite his lip and do little faces like that all the time he never broke id trust this man with my life

barfee , so nerdy i cannot resist this guy. he looks like he smells like hamburger and you know what? perfect. meeting him afterwards, he said that his shoes (for magic foot) were glow up sketchers and both of them were supposed to glow but only ONE did (the other broke) a few nights before and what a champ because he just went with it and CHANGED THE FOOT HE WAS USING to match the one that glew. i wouldve had a breakdown but go richard brown. through the whole show his bad accent and wet dog looks intrigued me

marcy was literally perfection, she had ME stressin out for her. i was sitting by the actresses' grandma and she was so fond of her its so cute. her singing voice is AMAZING there is a clip online i know of its on the theatre's tiktok but to hear that in person when its the song that got me into the show was wow. i relate to her very much and she made this character so personal even with just being in bits and pieces of the show

and finally, logainne. god she was SO FUNNY. the interactions between her and her dads, as well as the other spellers, were hilarious but also so real feeling. her actress, taylor,'s dedication to this role really showed and it worked awesome in the character. her appearance and outfit is the BEST for logainne btw??? no ones talking bout that its so so her ...,

^ also since i mentioned leaf's water bottle, logainne had a pride one + barfee had a pokemon cup. i think olive had one but if she did it was in the bleachers so i couldn't see, but i love how all of their bottles (yes even something just SMALL LIKE THAT) represent their characters the details in this show are sjsjd

here is a picture with the adults too! ill talk abt those three next;;

rona. again, had me crying in the stands. she was adorable the whole show though, with her little quips and interchanges !! her + panch were so funny and also shes GORGEOUS?? but her soccer mom teacher type deal is exactly what i picture rona as.

panch reminded me very very much of ron swanson. he was so sarcastic and hes just such a big guy with all these kids it played off so well !! i love so many different interpretations of panch like twink panch and butch panch, but i think this burly panch with his soft, creepy side for rona was my favorite !

and now, lastly, mitch. HE KEPT BUSTING OUT AS THE SIDE CHARACTER WITH THE AMAZINF SINGING VOICE AND IT CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD EVERY TIME ??? mitch himself was so so awesome, the tattoos and drug apparell (i am struggling spelling that) fit so well. and also, he just looks so mitch mahoney doesnt he?? like. the character fits the actor so well id be shocked seeing anything else from them because mitch was the perfect role... again, his brief dynamic with all the kids is so goofy

the set;;

it was so cute and the details in the posters on the wall were so childish it made me giggle. they even advertised their theatre's next production, which will be urinetown!! they had seats ON the stage (which is where i sat, naturally), which i think makes for a fun and realistic effect !! when the spellers were eliminated, theyd sit there (they had reserved spots) :3

its evident that all of the cast members had very good relatioships and play off that REALLY well

a little photo dump of them!! on the MAD theatre social medias, they have more and clips of them, too!! id definitely reccomend checking them out because the show's closed :3

overall; i have so much love for this cast and MORE PEOPLE NEED TO AS WELL!!! so here you go 😊😊

[hantengus-fuckass-clones]

Here is that oc idea I talked about

Kny demon dog head

General

Full name: Shizune Machi

Nickname(s) or Alias: Puppy (butterfly children), dog head (inosuke, meant to be a nice thing)

Gender: Female

Species: demon

Age: 23 when turned ( in timeline she was turned when Tanjiro was being trained my Urokodaki)

Birthday: 12th November

Sexuality: Lithromantic, Orchidsexual

Nationality: British, immigrated as an infant and was adopted by the Machi household

Religion: athiest

City or town of birth: unknown British city

Currently lives: Stone estate

Languages spoken: English and Japanese

Native language: English although she speaks Japanese more fluently

Relationship Status: Single

Apperance 

Height: 5’6

Weight: idk man

Figure/build: Lithe but slightly muscular

Hair colour: unknown now as she sports a dog/wolfish head

Hairstyle: no hair :(

Facial Hairstyle: does fur count?

Eye colour: brown dog eyes

Skin colour: the humanoid body parts are a pale white

Tattoos: none

Piercings: none

Scars/distinguishing marks: patches of fur on her wrists and ankles

Demon Slayer Mark: (if Yes describe looks) no

Scent: unfortunately smells of dog and that scent you smell when a storm is approaching

Preferred style of clothing: baggy, the kimono Gyomei gifted her

Demonic Features 

(If demon, if not delete or leave blank)

Humans eaten: none ( she refuses)

Demon who transformed them: Muzan (that bastard)

Demon transformation: too lazy to write

Demon Blood Art Name: no name just yet but allows her to swap out animal heads (later on she finds that she can use fossil heads as well)

Status [fully cultivated? in progress? not started? unavailable?]: in progress

Other Abilities: enhanced strength, enchanted speed, ability to talk to animals using the animal head she’s wearing

Description: too lazy to write, will draw

Drawbacks: she cannot use a human head ( tried to reattach her original head)

Requirements: beheaded animal head

Origins: unknown

Appearance: again will just draw

Health

Smoker? no

Drinker? no

Recreational Drug User? Which? no

Addictions: none

Allergies: none

Any physical ailments/illnesses/disabilities: does the animal head thing count?

Any medication regularly taken: none

Personality and other bits

Personality: Very reserved, soft spoken, adores children and gets upset when they’re scared of her, motherly to those younger then her, cuddly, very gentle nervous

Likes: the butterfly children (not in a weird way), Genya (not in a weird way), Gyomei (in a big brother way)

Dislikes: demons (except Genya and Nezuko), animals that try to fight or eat her if she’s wearing a prey animal head, humans that try to hunt her

Fears/phobias: being killed for being a demon, being killed for being mistaken as game, her father finding her

Favourite colour: moss and sage green

Hobbies: playing with the butterfly children, helping keep the stone estate clean and cooking food for the people

Talents/skills: cooking, imitating animal noises

Favourite food(s): all human food tastes disgusting now

Favourite drink(s): same with the food thing

Significant/special belongings: her family dog collar, childhood hairpin that she can no longer wear

Combat

Peaceful or aggressive attitude?: kinda unwilling to fight but super aggressive

Fighting skills/techniques: no set technique

Special skills/magical powers/etc: can form the parts of the animal she’s wearing

Weapon of choice: claws, teeth, bo staff

Weaknesses in combat: wasn’t raised to fight and Gyomei only just started teaching her the basics

Strengths in combat: animal instincts

Stats

Health: 9/10

Stamina: 6/10

Strength: 5/10

Endurance: 6/10

Agility: 6/10

Intelligence: 4/10

Common sense: 5/10

Wisdom: 2/10

Relationship 

Parents: dead mother, father is alive but hopefully she never sees him again

Siblings?: none thank god

Other Important Relatives: unknown

Partner/Spouse: none

Children: none

Best Friend: Giyuu

Other Important Friends: Tengen, Kyojuro, Suma, Makio, Hinatsuru

Acquaintances: The rest of the corps

Pets: technically the family dog as he’s the original and main animal head that she uses

Enemies? Why are they enemies?: all of demon kind (except Nezuko and Genya)

The Demon Slayer Corps

Tanjiro Kamado: finds him admirable

Zenitsu Agatsuma: think’s he underestimates himself

Inosuke Hashibira: thinks he’s a wild child, first thought he was like her with the boar head

Genya Shinazugawa: thinks of him as a younger brother, glad that someone can relate to her even if not exactly

Kanao Tsuyuri: they sit in silence together in the butterfly garden sometimes

Murata: only met once but she respects him

Hashira

Giyū Tomioka: likes to be near him sometimes, he’s very calm and quiet

Shinobu Kochō: thanks her for allowing her to help in the butterfly estate sometimes

Kyōjurō Rengoku: thinks he’s loud but very kind and selfless

Tengen Uzui: thinks he has a weird way of speaking, dislikes that he tried to kidnap the butterfly girls but respects the hell outta him after the entertainment district

Mitsuri Kanroji: thinks she’s adorable and a bit clutzy, will be forever grateful for her kindness at the start

Muichirō Tokitō: a forgetful child at first, he sometimes follows her around like a lost puppy, doesn’t seem to forget that she’s a kind demon

Gyōmei Himejima: loves him like a brother, owes him her life for saving her, tries to find an animal head that doesn’t put the stone estate cats on edge

Obanai Iguro: on edge around him, his glare don’t go unnoticed but she just ignores him

Sanemi Shinazugawa: same with Obanai

Butterfly Estate

Aoi Kanzaki: adores her, tries to help where she can

Goto: keeps an eye on him, he tried to give her a revealing uniform and she told Gyomei while Sanemi was in earshot. That was the only time Sanemi stood up for her.

Sumi Nakahara: same as Aoi but she also plays childish games with her and the others

Naho Takada: same as Sumi

Kiyo Terauchi: same as Sumi

Swordsmith Village

Hotaru Haganezuka: Didn’t get to meet him

Kozo Kanamori: didn’t get to meet him

Demons

Nezuko Kamado: loves her, does her hair and watches over her while Hashira training was going on

Muzan Kibutsuji: HATE HATE HATE

Spider Family: never met them

Twelve Kizuki

Rui: never met

Kaigaku: never met but from what she heard of him, she thinks she wouldn’t have liked him

Nakime: dislikes

Kamanue: dislikes but first meeting would’ve been that pointing spiderman meme

Mukago: never met

Wakuraba: never met

Rokuro: never met

Enmu: never met but thought he sounded weird

Akaza: kinda respects that he doesn’t eat women, still wanted to fight him for killing Kyojuro

Daki: never met but she sounded like a brat

Gyutaro: respects protecting his little sister…. still hates tho

Gyokko: never met, sounded like a weirdo when Tokito spoke of him

Hantengu: never met but he sounded insufferable and annoying to fight

Douma: unfortunately they never fought but from what Shinobu told her, he hates him with all her heart

Kokushibo: the one she actually fought, alongside the others, hates him for killing her.

History TLDR: She was orphaned as an infant and shipped off to a Japanese orphanage where the Machi family adopted her. Her adoptive mother died when she was young and she has little memories of her. Her adoptive father began drinking heavily, blaming Shizune for his wifes death and eventually beheading both her and the family dog. Muzan then appeared, instilling demon blood into her headless corpse and because the blood from the dog head mixed with hers on the floor, the demon blood infused into the dog head, making it demonic and her new head. She arose which scared her father and he ran out screaming about a demon. Gyomei who was in the area, heard the screaming and went to investigate. Finding Shizune and the dogs headless body and her human head on the floor, Shizune as a fresh demon sobbing on the floor begging not to be killed. TLDR, he took her in his care and she followed along with the story, eventually dying while Gyomei held her disintergrating body at the final battle against Kokushibo.

Taisho Era Secrets: Shizune thinks very badly of herself but will never let anyone else to the same about themselves. Shizune curls up like an animal when she sleeps, if she sleeps near other people she will try to cuddle them

[myhauntedsalem]

Hotel Del Coronado

The haunted Hotel Del Coronado in California is quite popular among paranormal investigators. Sitting along side of the Pacific Ocean, this castle was created in the architectural style of Victorian and takes up just over thirty acres. This establishment was up and ready for business in the year of 1888. Interestingly enough, the famous Thomas Edison played a major roll in assisting to provide electricity to the famous hotel. Throughout history, many notable names have resided at the structure, and some seem to have never left.

In The late 1800s two men by the name of H.I Story and another by the name of Elisha S. Babocock were engaging in the sport of hunting rabbit throughout the wooded areas of California. The weather was nice, the scenery was beautiful – it was then that the idea hit them that the area would be a wonderful location for a resort for those that wanted to vacation. The two men exchanged ideas and this is when the idea behind the gorgeous hotel was initiated. By the month of February in the year of 1888, the popular hotel was opened to customers wishing to visit the area sporting the advertisement: “Free from Malaria, Hay Fever, Mad Dogs, Cyclones, or Cold Snaps”. Many found this so appealing that they flocked to the structure.

Throughout the years, more and more notable names were found to take an interest in visiting the hotel. This became especially true during what is considered as one of the main highlights in Hollywood history, the decades of the twenties and thirties. If you evaluate the visitors to this popular hotel during this time period, you would find names like “Mae West”, “Marilyn Monroe”, “Mary Pickford” and others. You will also find that several movies were filmed at the location. However, in the 1950s a tragedy occurred in the spectacular hotel.

A young girl, by the name of Melissa elected to stay at the hotel with her aunt. She was documented in playing with her favorite little doll in various locations throughout the structure. However, she was eventually discovered in the hall when she became extremely ill. It is said that the hotel staff and the aunt of the child called for medical assistance and she was taken to a doctor that was nearby. Unfortunately, no one thought to grab the little doll that she loved so much. Melissa’s health continued to fail and she passed away. Employees that worked at the hotel at the time and many who work there today as well have often documented seeing the spirit of a small girl – they believe this spirit is that of Melissa trying to find her favorite doll – not realizing that she is actually able to “cross over”.

If you are planning to visit the haunted Hotel Del Coronado in California, you should be aware of the fact that there are a couple of rooms in the establishment that are said to have spirits residing in and around them. The first was originally marked as room number 302, but is now marked as 3502. It was said that a lady who was named “Kate Morgan” signed up for a stay in the late years of the 1800s. It was said that she passed away while staying in the room. Today, visitors state many unusual occurrences that happen within the room. Examples include noises that are stated to be “phantom like”, electricity complications such as lights that go on and off in a flickering manner, as well as strong aromas in the room. There are also many fluctuations that occur within the room as far as temperature is concerned.

[amor-immortalem]

The Price of a Soul Ch. 2

Word count: 5.4k+

A/N: I may have gotten a little carried away. Just a tiny bit.

The entity that stole Solaris’ soul has the poor half-demon running ragged around the darkness.

“Let’s play tag!” It had said with such enthusiasm and excitement that Solaris had trouble saying no, something the 16-year-old greatly regrets.

“This is getting old fast.” He grumbles to himself after tripping over something unseen for the nth time. “How do you expect me to properly play a game like this when I can’t even see where I’m going?”

“But I can’t turn the lights on.” There’s a childish whine to the entity’s voice. “Will you really not play with me because you keep falling?”

“Well, I would prefer not to break my face while we’re at this.” Is all the teenager sighs as he takes a seat. He runs a hand through his orange-streaked hair as he mumbles to himself. “It was a mistake to run my mouth without thinking...I want to go home...I miss my dad...”

“What’s a ‘Dad’?” The avian-like being is now couched down in front of him.

“A Dad is someone who does things like look after you when you’re ill, someone who keeps you safe. They tuck you into bed at night when you’re little, read you stories until you fall asleep, comfort you after a nightmare, teach you how to do all sorts of amazing things... Mine is really amazing.” Solaris smiles sadly to himself. “Did you ever have someone like that before?”

“No. I’ve been all alone ever since I can remember, but it sounds nice. Unfortunately, I can’t undo what I did. “

“I don’t think I would want you to... sure I traded my soul away without thinking of it, but you gave my mother her life back. Even if I really am dead, my parents can always have another kid. I can be replaced There was never really anything all that special about me anyway...”

“You’re special to me...” It says, “You’re my first friend! There’s nothing more special than that.”

・・・〆・・・

Lucifer and Barbatos stand at the entry point if Aubrie’s grave on the day of the earthquake just minutes before it all unfolded.

“Are you absolutely sure you want to know what went on?” The green-haired demon asks, “Would it not be easier on your heart to just speculate what went on instead?”

“If I can find a way to help my son, it doesn’t matter what I learn.” Lucifer says, an unreadable emotion on written on his face.

It’s quiet between them as they press forward. When they enter the anti-chamber, the pair find the half-demon absolutely bawling his eyes out- a heartbreaking scene. It's hard to make out what he’s saying through his sobs and coughing fits. It doesn’t take them long to notice there’s something else in the room with them too.

It’s stalking Solaris, seemingly feeding off the boy’s despair as it inches closer and closer.

“Barbatos, what is that?” Lucifer has never seen anything like it before and he’ll never admit it, but it terrifies him. Its form shimmers almost, like it was trying to remain unseen while it hunted its helpless prey. And the worst part? He can’t even interfere to protect his child.

“I… I don’t actually know.” The butler is also on edge. The energy this thing produced, it felt ancient- even older than himself, almost and not completely demonic. Whatever the thing was, it clearly didn’t originate in the Devildom.

With their attention on the entity, the pair fail to notice the beginnings of the earthquake and when the ground jolts back and forth violently, they begin to lose their footing. A chasm begins to open up beside them and at the last possible moment, Barbatos snaps his fingers, and the pair go flying out of one of the many doors in his room.

They both groan, having tumbled down one of the many flights of stone steps in the time-demon’s room.

“I believe we have our answer as to what happened to your son.”

・・・〆・・・

Aubrie meets with Arella and the rest of their friends for lunch but finds herself too unfocused on the conversations.

“And this was Henry at his latest e-sports tournament.” Isabella holds her phone so the other human can see all the pictures she’d taken of the thirteen-year-old. “He’s even taken up coding and makes his own video games.”

“That’s amazing,” the orange-haired-human smiles, “he surely does take after his father, huh?”

“A little too much, unfortunately. But I love him all the same.”

“And what about you, Paisley? Did you and Belphegor ever end up having children? I know before my passing, the two of you were still undecided on the matter.”

“Hm?” The brown-haired human looks up from her meal. “Oh, yeah, we did. Just one for now despite how Belphie might be trying to convince me we should have another. Anyway, his name is Oliver. I have pictures if you’d like to see them.” They pull out the phone and pull up their gallery. “He just turned 7 not that long ago.”

“Aww, he’s so adorable,” Aubrie smiles, “who’s that next to him?”

“That’s Hakan, Allie and Beelzebub’s boy. He actually just got back from spending the summer in the human world with Allie. He’ll be turning eight in a few months. He and Oliver are constantly together, they’re like a two-in-one package at this point.”

“I see. And Arella, how’re the twins doing? What’re they up to nowadays? Were you guys ever able to find Cyrus too?”

“They’re fine,” Arella nods. “You could say they’re very busy. Aurelius took up modeling for Majolish like his father and is doing very well for himself in the industry and Azalea actually volunteers her free time at a dagashi shop Mammon and I used to take them to when they were younger. The both of them are at the top of their class, on the honor roll, and Azalea is even in advanced courses. Unfortunately, they live in the House of Lamentation now during the school week, so I don’t get to see them much until the weekend when they come home unless one of them is on punishment. Cyrus found his way back to us as well three years ago and he also attends RAD but chose to just commute from home. His return brought some friction to our family structure so he felt like moving into the HOL would be unnecessarily encroaching in the twins’ life.” Arella scrolls through her phone, showing Aubrie all the recent pictures of her family.

“Mammon and I have also had another child as well. This is him right here. His name’s Mahlon and he’s turning 6 in a couple days. Funnily enough he shares his birthday with Mammon.”

“Another child?” The ginger looked at her old friend in surprise. “I thought you’d had your tubes tied. Did it fail?”

“Yeah... I didn’t realize even with a tubal, there was still a super small chance of conceiving again. If I’d have known that I would have opted for a complete removal of everything instead. The youngest’s arrival caused a little bit of drama with the twins- more so Azalea than Aurelius. Things are fine now though.”

“I’d say it caused more than just a little bit of drama.” Isabella teases lightly. “Wouldn’t you, Paisley?”

The other human nods with a smile on their face and Aubrie’s confused.

“It’s nothing anymore, though, so I guess we should all be thankful for that much,” The Isabella hums as she notices Aubrie’s confused look. Her phone beeps- a message from her son over something he deemed an emergency but was- in all actuality- nonsensical at best. “I have to go. We should do this again sometime. Adios, ladies.” she leaves her portion of the check and takes off.

“Bye Isa!” They all chime in.

“I should get going too.” Paisley digs around in their wallet for some cash. “Knowing Belphie, he’s probably sleeping the day away and we’re supposed to run some errands together before we get Oliver and Hakan from school. I’ll see you around.” And then Paisely’s gone as well, leaving Arella and Aubrie alone. It’s quiet between them for a few moments before:

“You’re still dating Thirteen, right?” the freckled human nods at her friend’s question. “Can you ask her if she knows anything about entities that steal souls?”

“I can,” She hums in response, “but what leads you to suspect that his soul was stolen?”

“I just have a feeling- mother's intuition if you will. I remember when I first came to, and I saw my son laying there in a pool of his own blood, I had the overwhelming feeling that we weren’t alone. Something else was in there with us, Arella.”

“I’ll see Thirteen tonight, so I’ll ask her then.”

“Thank you. Let me know as soon as you find out.” The grey-eyed human’s phone goes off and she looks to see who it is.

・・・〆・・・

Lucifer sits in his office at home, still bruised from the tumble he’d taken back in Barbatos’ room, staring at the official notice he’d received via Diavolo from the House of Lords. After catching wind that Solaris had been at the literal epicenter of the earthquake that shook the Devildom to its foundations, a judgement had been rendered. He must’ve read it a million times already but just the sight of the words put the Avatar of Pride into a cold sweat.

The House of Lords hereby decrees the actions of the half-demon, Solaris Morningstar, taken on 31, August, to be classified as an act of terrorism. Until such time that these actions can be clarified as unintentional, the accused is hereby sentenced to execution. The preliminary hearing to appeal this decision is scheduled for 25, December, with a sentence date of 30, December.

Death? Terrorism? Not his boy. Solaris would never dream of intentionally harming anyone. This was all just a horrible accident and really, if anyone should be to blame it should be Lucifer himself. He knew the seal on Solaris’ powers was beginning to wane- Lucifer had even asked Arella to cast the spell she’d used on a new pendant that he intended to give his son on his birthday to avoid a scenario like this ever happening. This had to be due to-

“Love?” Aubrie’s voice distracts the demon from his thoughts. “I got your message. What’s wrong?”

“The House of Lords rendered its judgement in regard to the events from the 31st.” He sets the paper on his desk haphazardly, rubbing a hand over his face. “They believe our son caused the disaster. They want his life for it.”

The human’s storm-grey eyes widen.

“They want to execute our son over an earthquake that didn’t even kill anyone?” She can’t believe what she’s hearing. “That’s more than a little extreme.”

“I think it has more to do with something else and not the quake- that was just the opening they chose to take.”

“Something else? Such as what?”

“The House of Lords consists of some of the oldest demons in the Devildom as you know. They’ve always opposed the idea of demons intermingling with humans on a deeper level that just tempting them toward chaos and sin. They’ve been quietly targeting our family for years now- ever since we brought Cyrus home from the human world after Satan, Beel, and I killed his birth mother and aunts- trying to extinguish the existence of half-demons in our family and every time Diavolo and I have managed appease them in some form or another.”

“So, it’s prejudice? I can’t believe they want to take our baby’s life over something so stupid. Where is their court? I swear when I give those lousy demons a piece of my mind, they’ll-”

“You would have better luck convincing Belphie to stay awake all day than you would reasoning with them.” there’s a soft chuckle to his voice. “Appealing their decision is better left to me, my love. Ideally, I’d like for them to drop the charges altogether, but if they don’t back down completely, I’ll seek for a period of exile until I’m ready to abdicate my position as Avatar of Pride. At the very least, Solaris will get to keep his life.”

Aubrie nods at that. As unfortunate as it would be for their son to be ripped away from everything he’d grown up around, at least he wouldn’t be targeted for even the smallest slip up.

“I asked Arella to get in contact with Thirteen for me.”

“Really?” The demon asks, “You still think something’s affecting his soul?” He doesn’t want to say how he also believes in that theory after what he witnessed with Barbatos.

“At this point that’s the only explanation I can think of,” Aubrie admits. “It’s silly to jump to the most drastic conclusion, I know, but what if I’m right? What if he really did trade his soul away for mine? I’m sorry, Dear, I love you and I’m absolutely thrilled to be here with you again, but having a second chance to live means nothing if we don’t have our son with us as well.”

“I can’t say I don’t agree. I’m going to visit our son in the morning tomorrow and I’ll be taking Belphie with me. Brain scans still continue to indicate that he’s stuck in a constant state of REM sleep. He’s dreaming of something. I’m hoping Belphegor can figure out what that something is.”

Silently, she nods. She just wants her son back.

“Is there anything else you needed?” The human asks, to which Lucifer only shakes his head.

“Nothing really, although I won’t turn down your company.”

・・・〆・・・

The next morning, Lucifer- along with a very disgruntled Avatar of Sloth- make their way up to Solaris’ hospital room.

“You couldn’t have picked a later time to do this,” the seventh-born complains.

“No.” Is the eldest’s response, “When I spoke with the doctors last, Solaris’ brain was most active during the early morning hours. It should be far easier for you to use your dream-watching ability at this point in the day especially if you’re as tired as you keep complaining you are.”

“I appreciate you making it easier on me then I guess…” Belphegor mumbles as they reach the room. “You sure you don’t want to come with me? In my own opinion, I think he ended up astral projecting and he’s just stuck in that plane. It’ll be easier to coax him back if his father is there to encourage him.”

“No… I know he’s more than capable enough without me there- he just needs a guide back to the waking world. If it’s as you say, then he may even retreat further into the astral plane out of embarrassment, and we’ll have an even harder time guiding him back.”

“Suit yourself, then,” is all the sloth demon shrugs before he takes a seat in the chair near the bed and takes a hold of his nephew’s hand as he closes his eyes.

・・・〆・・・

The darkness leaves Solaris in deep despair. He misses his family. He wants to go home. Instead, the half-demon is stuck in this never-ending darkness with no way out, playing game after game with an archaic being that has the mentality of a child and the cruelty of a sadist.

It’s in this incredible despair that the boy openly weeps. He’d lost their latest game and had been practically rag-dolled around like a toy. Claw-like marks still sit on his shoulder from the exchange. His entire body hurts now.

“This isn’t how you’re supposed to treat friends.” the words are hushed, gritted through his teeth.

“We can play another game!” its voice echoes in the darkness. “I promise I won’t be so rough if you lose again.”

“No! I’m tired of this!” He screams. “I need a break!”

“Who’re you talking to?”

The half-demon’s grey-and-red eyes widen at the sound of Belphegor’s voice.

“Uncle Belphie?” Solaris turns toward the sound, and he can see his uncle off in the distance. He sounded so close- why is he so far off? “Is that really you? How did you get here?”

“Through your dreams,” suddenly the Avatar of Sloth is sitting right beside him. “You’re stuck here in the astral plane. I can guide you back if you’ll take my hand.”

“I can’t.” More tears well up in the boy’s eyes. “I did something stupid- made a deal without thinking. I’m such an idiot.”

“Well, even if you are an idiot, you’re your father’s idiot. Deal or no deal, if you take my hand, you will be able to go back home.”

And Solaris contemplates it as he reaches for his uncle’s hand. At the last possible moment, something seizes him and pulls him away.

“NO!” The entity screeches as it holds on tight to the half-demon. “YOU CAN’T TAKE MY FRIEND! I WON HIM FAIR AND SQUARE! I OWN HIM- WE MADE A DEAL.”

“You can’t own a person,” Belphegor stands, demon form manifesting. “Let Solaris go. He doesn’t belong here. Can’t you see he’s unhappy? If he was really your friend, you’d want him to be happy, right?”

“I won’t be alone again!” It’s claws begin to tighten into the flesh of Solaris’ arm. “If I have to kill you to make sure my friend stays by my side forever then I will.”

“No, don’t, please!” Solaris can’t be responsible for another family member’s death. “I-I’ll stay. Just don’t kill him, please.”

“It’s too late for that,” It growls. “If he ever comes back here, you’ll leave for sure. I can’t allow that.”

The entity raises its arm, and the ground starts to crack and rise. It throws the raised chunks of ground at Belphegor which he easily dodges. The Avatar of Sloth knows he’s at a disadvantage. He's unable to see his surroundings in the suffocating darkness. Anything could be coming at him, and he wouldn’t know it until it was too late. A tactical retreat would be the best option right now. He can always come back with Lucifer and another of their brothers after more planning and finding out what the hell this thing even was.

“I’ll be back, Solaris. I promise.” And with that, the blue-and-white-haired demon forces himself to wake up.

・・・〆・・・

When Thirteen finally walks into Mammon and Arella’s house, she immediately collapsed onto the couch in the living room. Another long night of reaping souls really takes it out of you. All the reaper wants is just 15 minutes of peace.

“There you are,” Arella appears not two minutes later, “I’ve been waiting to talk to you about something.”

“Can I just get five minutes of peace, please?” The pink-and-blue-haired woman whines, “I only just got home.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Dear.” The human kneels beside the couch. “But this is important. It’s regarding Solaris.”

Thirteen gives her human partner a disgruntled look as she rolls onto her side, facing Arella. “Fine, if it's that important, I’ll hear what you have to say.”

“Thank you, you’re the best. Anyway, Aubrie wanted to know if you knew of any entities that could steal souls away.”

“Entities that steal souls, huh? Currently, we reapers are the only beings capable of doing that. Collecting souls is kind of our main thing. I’ll have to look more into it with the elders, but our children are told stories of a being capable of stealing even our souls. They’re more cautionary tales against letting your emotions run wild if anything- Candi always had a way of making them even more terrifying than they actually were.”

“Interesting,” The human hums. “Can you tell me everything you do know?”

Thirteen is quiet. “No. If we speak of it without properly protecting ourselves first, the rumor is that you’ll catch its attention. I’m sorry, babe, but I don’t want my soul poached by that thing.”

“That’s understandable. I’ll pass the message along to Aubrie.”

・・・〆・・・

Lucifer and Belphegor sit in silence in the hospital room. The Avatar of Sloth’s heart is still racing from his encounter in the astral plane.

“This thing isn’t going to let him go peacefully, Lucifer. If we’re going to bring him back, it’ll have to be by force. And we need a plan too.”

Lucifer says nothing but turns his gaze to his resting son. Was there really nothing he could do for his boy at present? “How long do souls have after being stuck in the astral plane before they’re trapped there permanently?”

“It varies... from what I’ve seen with humans in the past, it only takes a few weeks. Demons, however, are unable to be trapped there. Since Solaris is a mix between the two, I’d hypothesize that he’d have months to a year at the minimum but that’s not a theory I’m so sure we should be testing.”

“Thirteen is back in town, we’ll drop by and pay her visit.”

・・・〆・・・

As lunch time rolls around, Thirteen and Arella are in the kitchen making lunch for themselves and Azalea who happened to be home from school due to the Devildom cold.

“Who would have thought Azalea of all people would be so needy when she’s sick...” The reaper remarks. “She’s nearly as bad as her father.”

“Oh, I’ve known for quite some time.” The human chuckles, “Azalea doesn’t get sick often but when she does, she tends to be especially greedy for my and Mammon’s attention. She’ll sleep for a majority of the day though, so I don’t think we have too much to be worried about.”

“And what about when she wakes up?”

“Oh, I won’t be able to get anything done until she goes back to sleep. It’ll all be fine, Love. Can you go wake her? The soup is done.”

Thirteen does as she’s asked, retrieving the ailing half-demon from her cozy cavern of blankets. Arella slides a bowl in front of her child, taking the opportunity to check the temperature of Azalea’s forehead.

“Your fever’s starting to drop, thankfully. With any luck you’ll be able to return to classes tomorrow.”

The freckled girl only grunts as she presses her face against her mother’s side. “Mama... hold me.” Her voice is muffled by Arella’s shirt.

“Eat, before your food gets cold, Dear. We can cuddle later.” Arella kisses the top of her daughter’s head as she brushes some of her hair away from her sweaty face before pulling away from the girl to make her own bowl.

Thirteen just watches the pair, shaking her head.

Lunch is interrupted by Lucifer and Belphegor. They’d come to finally corner Thirteen to see if she knew anything at all about this entity that was keeping Solaris captive in the Astral plane.

“I just can’t catch a break about this thing, can I?” The reaper sighs after hearing Belphie’s description of the entity.

“We just want to know if it has any weaknesses that we can capitalize on,” Lucifer replies as he sits across from her.

Thirteen takes a few moments to say a protective ward for herself in an ancient tongue unknown to any demon.

“If I’m going to talk about this thing, I need to protect myself from unwanted attention first.” She clarifies after receiving odd looks from the first and seventh born. “Now as we were discussing, I don’t know much aside from the legends my sister would try to scare me with, but rumor has it that it’s even older than demons or angels. It was imprisoned by your father many, many eons ago when it kept running around stealing the souls of all those who felt strong emotions one way or another before eventually settling on hunting the souls of reapers for sport. Some younger reapers in my generation gave it the name Yatagarasu, after the three-legged crow god, while others- more elder reapers- refuse to call it by a name for fear they’d be next on its hunting list.”

“What else can you tell us?”

“Some stories tell that it loves to make deals with non-consenting parties and that the only way out of that deal is to defeat it in a game of chance yourself or have another person do so on your behalf but then we have just as many that say otherwise. Of course, these are only children’s tales.”

“A game of chance, huh?” Lucifer looks lost in thought. “Is it able to detect cheating?”

Thirteen shrugs. “I’m not sure- probably.”

“If ya need someone who’s good with games of chance, I’ll do it once I start feeling better.” A new voice enters the conversation.

All three of them turn to look at Azalea in surprise. They hadn’t realized she’d been listening.

“No.” Lucifer replies, “If you should lose-”

“I’ve trained my odds perception ability very well.” The 19-year-old grumbles. “Aside from my father, I’m the best option you have at assuring we get him back. Besides… none of this would be happenin’ if I hadn’t lost track of Solaris at Devil’s Coast that day.”

“Now’s not really the time for your weird sense of responsibility, kid.” Belphegor comments. “You understand what it might want if you lose right? You’ll both be trapped there and even if you can see the odds that you’ll win you have no-”

“I don’t really give a shit.” She shrugs, “Sorry ta be so blunt but I never lose games of chance so let me help.”

The three adults exchange looks of concern.

“If it makes you feel any better,” the half-demon adds, “I’ve already seen our odds of pullin’ this off. They’re in our favor. So, what’ll it be? Getting Solaris back or letting him stay comatose for the rest of forever?”

The room is quiet, there’s tension in the air as Lucifer weighs the option.

“Fine.”

・・・〆・・・

The three of them along with Aubrie stand in Solaris’ hospital room. It had been a full week since their last attempt at freeing the orange-and-black-haired boy from this hostage situation.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Belphegor still looks uncomfortable about taking his niece into the astral plane with him. “Your parents will kill me if I let you get stuck there.”

“Yeah,” Azalea nods, “like I said last week, this whole situation is my fault in the first place so it’s only natural that I make it right.” She holds her hand out. “So, let's get a move on. Unless you want the developin’ bed sores or something.”

“You two be careful, alright?” It’s an order from the Avatar of Pride. “You don’t know what tricks this thing has up its sleeve.”

They both nod as the Avatar of Sloth takes her outstretched hand. Suddenly, the pair find themselves within the astral plane once more.

“Yeesh- sure is dark in here…” Azalea mumbles, “I thought the astral plan was s’pposed to be filled with stars or something pretty like that?”

“Normally, it is.” The demon agrees, “but remember what Thirteen said? This place was meant to be a prison- prisons aren’t pretty.”

It doesn’t take long for the entity dubbed as Yatagarasu to find them.

“I thought I told you to never come back?!” it’s multilayered voice booms.

“Actually, you never said that.” Belphie can help but be a little snarky.

“He’s only here because of me,” Azalea shouts to it. “I wanna play a game and make deal with ya.”

“A game?” The massive version of Yatagarasu bends down, its face practically pressed up against hers, “What kind of game?”

“They call it War. It’s a card game. We both place a card down and whoever has the higher card wins. To spice it up, we only get one card each. It’s a mode I like to call sudden death style. It’s the ultimate game of chance. Simple enough, right?”

“And what do you want if you win?”

“If I win? Well, that’s easy. I want you to let my cousin go free. If I lose, however, you still let Solaris go but you keep me instead.”

“Are you insane, Azalea? You can’t offer up your own soul over a card game!” The sloth demon hisses.

Yatagarasu thinks for a moment. “How do I know you won't cheat or go back on your word?”

“Oh? You scared?” She smirks, taunting the being. She needs it to choose this game or else she’ll lose for sure. “For your information, I don’t need to cheat. After all, throughout all three realms, when it comes to card games of any kind, I’m the best there’s ever been. If it’ll make ya feel better, we’ll shake on it. It’ll be a binding contract so you can’t go back on your word either.”

“The best? I hardly believe that.” Yatagarasu gives the half-demon a disbelieving look. “I’ll accept your deal- if only to wipe that annoying smirk off your face when I crush you.”

And so, the game begins as they shake on the deal. Solaris is summoned to their location, placed in a cage that dangles above the pair much to the boy’s embarrassment.

“Can’t you let me down?” He yells, his pride not letting him take this lightly. “This is embarrassing- I’m not a damsel in distress!”

He finds himself ignored.

Azalea never lets her smirk fall from her face throughout it even as the cards are placed down- the thrill of what will be an easy victory humming in her ears. This was all going to plan. She has an ace laid down while her opponent only has a ten. Victory is all but assured.

“Are ya ready? You’re gonna lose.”

“Have you heard that it’s impolite to be so damn cocky?”

“Who says it’s cockiness? I done told you once I’m the best there’s ever been. Reveal your card.”

“A ten,” it smiles, chest puffing up with pride, “You can’t beat that.”

“Now, who’s bein’ cocky?” Azalea reveals her own card, “I have an ace. According to the rules, I win.”

“I… lost?”

The cage Solaris is in dissolves away and he goes crashing to the ground with a screech. His uncle as able to catch him just in time.

“I can’t lose… this is my realm! I make the rules here!” The ground begins to quake beneath their feet as Azalea only laughs and turns away. “You had to have cheated somehow! We’re playing again!”

“Nah, I’m good.” Her voice is cold and disinterested. “We made a deal, and I won fair and square.”

“NO YOU DIDN’T!”

“Azalea, we can’t stay here anymore!” Belphie shouts, “We got what we came for, let’s go!” His hand is outstretched as he holds his footing among the thrashing of the ground.

The white-and-blacked-haired girl doesn’t need to be told twice. No matter how good it would feel to humiliate her opponent after winning in such high stakes, she’d rather not have the entire plane collapse on her either.

“NOOOOOOO,” it’s voice roars in her ears as she takes her uncle’s hand and before she knows it, they’re back in the real world. Adrenaline is rushing through her veins still.

And it would appear to be the same for Solaris as well as he sits up with a shout, body full on shivering while takes ragged breaths- like he was waking up from the most traumatic nightmare.

The commotion caused Lucifer and Aubrie to come rushing back in and the grey-and-red-eyed half-demon snaps his head in their direction. The sight of them is blurry, but he can tell from scent alone it was them.

In seconds, he’s wrapped up in their arms in the tightest hugged imaginable as tears well up in his eyes.

He’s back in his body, he has his mother back- it all feels far too overwhelming to bare. It’s not long before the tears overflow and he’s sobbing into his father’s coat.

“I-I’m-m s-s-sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m such an idiot! I can’t believe I did something so stupid!” Solais’ words hiccup and break with each breath.

“It’s okay,”

“You’re safe now. We’re here. We’ve got you.”

More comforting words are whispered into his hair as both parents do their best to calm him. Both Azalea and Belphegor slip away unseen. They could get their thanks later but for now, they’ll let those three have their moment.

・・・〆・・・

To be continued (in an epilogue)

[pokemon-goodmorn]

What's that rumbling? Why, it must be the evolution of Pokémon Flint's fossil:

Vortitan - The Dust Devil Pokémon! (#69)

Type: Rock/Ground Ability: Earth Eater (Sand Veil) Height: 19' 8" / 6.0 m Weight: 1410.9 lbs / 640.0 kg

Vortitan evolves from Ikivak at level 38.

---

Dubbed "the colossus of the sands", Vortitan is optimized to passively feeding in desert conditions. Despite its frightening appearance, this Pokémon has no ill will or malice in its heart. It exists simply to feed. On momentum alone, it can glide underneath the dunes at upwards of 45 miles per hour (70 kilometers per hour), maintaining that speed for eight whole hours before it needs to move its fins again.

However, it is not always lazy. With its newly evolved claws and drill-like horn, it can burrow through limestone in search of Rock-type Pokémon to feast upon. In fact, it is speculated that that is why so many Vortitan fossils are so well-preserved: because they naturally bored into a rocky deposit before getting stuck.

The corresponding evolved fossil Pokémon exclusive to Pokémon Steel is Bivoutel, which you can read about here.

For a behind-the-scenes look at this Pokémon, read below!

Number one - yes, of course the evolution to "The Suction Pokémon" is going to be #69 in the Pokédex.

Number two, if you saw the post on Ikivak earlier, you may have seen that I called it "Titanoover". That was a bit of an unfortunate happenstance on my part. I actually had the core idea - a fossil Pokémon who could naturally burrow through limestone, making fossils of it abundant - before I had the name for it. What this resulted in was me creating Ikivak in preparation for that idea, making a post about Ikivak, and then getting to the end and realizing that I had no idea what Ikivak's evolution was going to be called. I'm so glad I came up with something better than Titanoover in the end.

The name, for posterity's sake, is a combination between "vortex" and "titan", with Ikivak containing the corresponding part of titanichthys's name. Ikivak's horn became something more akin to a narwhal's tusk, and its orange color scheme has become a gradient to reflect how different layers of dirt and bedrock are colored differently. I thought that would be a nice little nod to the connections between geology and paleontology.

What I was thinking when designing Vortitan was, I want people to think this Pokémon is scary, then that it's not scary, then that it is scary. Because when you look at it, it's horrifying. You would have a heart attack if you saw this thing emerge from the sand. But also, it's not inherently evil. It doesn't seek out vengeance. It doesn't hunt people for sport. It just glides and feeds, like a real titanichthys. But also... isn't that, in and of itself, kind of horrifying? Just because it doesn't actively want to kill you doesn't mean it won't kill you. It barely thinks. It only moves. If you're laying in the sand and it breaches and swallows you, that's it. You're dead. And it doesn't even know it killed you. Isn't that scarier, in a way?

My last little gripe is that looking at Bulbapedia, I feel like Game Freak has really painted themselves into a corner with Pokémon weights. The heaviest Pokémon is Celesteela at 999.9 kg / 2,204.4 lbs. Say that Vortitan is made of something like granite. A solid prism of granite that's 20-by-8-by-8 feet (bearing in mind that granite has a density of 2.6 g/cm^3) would weigh 94,200 kg or 208,000 lbs. Even if you say that Vortitan weighs half of that, it's still forty-something times heavier than The Heaviest Pokémon! Get it together, Nintendo!

Finally, as a treat, here's some earlier drafts of Vortitan. On the right, you can see I experimented with these little lines around their mouth to really emphasize the "vortex" aspect of Vortitan's mouth, but I'm glad I left it out in the end.

[meat-huge-pain-endless]

huge vent post feel free to ignore✌️

tw just in case tho for depression, anxiety, suicide/suicidal ideation, death, disordered eating, drug use, dissociation, depersonalization, and derealization

i need someone to come put a straight jacket on me i ruin everything i fucking touch i don’t want to be a bother but im desperate to be known so i spill my guts just for them to get trampled. and i really do let everyone walk all over me. i assume that every other human being on the planet knows better than me about everything and i will tolerate literally an treatment so long as you’re a little bit nice to me sometimes, or even if you just tell me that you are ill probably believe you. my self esteem is so fucking low plus i can’t ever rlly tell what’s true anymore. my memory is so fucking bad like the amount of times a day i forget what im saying mid-sentence and then forget what i had just said and then forget what i was even talking about in the first place is genuinely embarassing. it’s so fucking humiliating actually like i am so out of it all of the time and i can never tell if it’s bc im dissociating or bc im dehydrated or bc i didn’t sleep or bc i haven’t eaten or bc i forgot to take my adhd meds or bc i hit the pen at 9:30am again or bc i DIDNT hit the pen but i have brain fog from smoking the night before and at this point it’s probably all of it all the time like it is so bad. ive never been worse in my life i don’t think. again i wouldn’t rlly know. all my memories feel a million miles away. im alone in my dorm room rn bc my roommate and our other friend went to our other other friend’s dorm to hang out. if i think about it too hard ill probably start crying. i was crying before they were even out the door.

everyone told me college is where you meet “your people.” the friends you have for the rest of your life. why do i have about 3 friends total (as in i actually hang out with them outside of classes/club meetings/school events/etc) and why do none of them feel like they’re actually my friends. oh wait actually i know why that is. it’s because i don’t feel like im real when im at college. that’s how i felt last year (like school year, and it was awful btw, thought it was the worst year of my life but then this semester happened and now im not so sure) but it just occurred to me that im feeling the same way except this time i wasn’t so alarmed by it bc i got used to it. like this is baseline college feeling for me. the worst part of it all is that everything is actually all my fault. like for real not sarcasm. my anxiety is so fucking severe and i didn’t realize it at all until recently when i started having more frequent panic attacks. i cry most days. i hyperventilate way too easily. i walk thru the world just going about my everyday life with the anxiety levels of an animal being hunted for sport. like literally if i accidentally do something wrong in public like the smallest tiniest stupidest mistake like pushing on a pull door or something i get so embarrassed it like so very seriously and genuinely the idea of people thinking that im stupid or laughing at me makes me want to die like seriously kill myself dead and i cannot overstate that im so scared of what people thjnk of me all the time.

oh and did i mention i also literally never stop thinking? overanalyzing everything i do and say and everything everyone else does and says to me and im always worried that my friends hate me or secretly think im an awful person or im thinking about things that they might potentially hate me for later down the line and sometimes i try to preemptively circumvent that by randomly being like “hey if i ever [insert thing im worried might potentially make them not like me anymore] just know that it’s not because [reason i think it might make them potentially not like me]” OH and i also all the time will ask my friends if they think im a bad person which is like so insane of me actually like why the fuck do i do that THIS IS WHAT I MEANT AT THE BEGINNING!!!! PUT ME IN A STRAIGHTJACKET CUT OFF MY GODDAMN HANDS JUST PLEASE DO SOMETHJNG because no matter what i fucking do i always end up crawling to SOMEONE to beg them for reassurance or tell them something that will make them worry about me (sometimes im not even aware im doing that one!) because i just need someone to care. i need someone to care about me or else im not real. (i feel like i only exist contextually but i don’t have time to get into all that right now). but then i get embarrassed for needing something. the fact that i have needs and wants and desires is the most embarrassing thing in the world. asking for what i want and need is the most mortifying torturous experience in the world. i hate being vulnerable.

i want to be cared for without judgement. i want to stop feeling like i am hard to like and even harder to love. i want to stop feeling tired all the time. i want to stop feeling miserable all the time. i want to feel like im real, like i actually exist. i don’t want to die, but i don’t want to live either. i think the only thing about death that still scares me is the fact that i would have to go alone. but the idea of infinite nothingness sounds like a dream. it’s so loud in my head all the time. i just want it all to stop.

[lillikoifish]

The premise to the hunter/killer story so far is about a girl named Layla. She’s kinda ordinary, i guess, just kinda nice, kinda funny, not overtly anything. The kind of person that thinks they blend in, because they have self esteem issues, but are actually pretty damn cool. Layla is the type that firmly believes in doing the right thing always, and not seeking any glory or accolades. She just wants to be helpful and kind, and make friends, and the entire time she is the first to leap into a fire to save someone, she thinks shes completely worthless and dull. A cool head in a crisis, thoughtful, pretty damn smart, but again, really fucking hates herself and thinks shes totally boring and uninteresting. Layla sees other people being great, and is always willing to lift them up, but the second people try to do the same, she awkwardly rejects it, and puts up walls and distance.

Her flaws are that her self hate is so powerful it causes all her problems, if she could just get over herself, she could have friends and love, but she just cant see it, its impossible. Its sad, you feel bad for her, and you wish Layla could grow. I want Layla to be someone you like, and genuinely cringe when she attacks herself, but it doesnt annoy or grate. It feels vulnerable and real. Thats the tough part i think, i feel like people are gonna lose patience fast. Which is kinda the thing Layla fears, that people just dont have the patience for her and theyll always leave, sick of her. Like her every move is making up for the offense of her just existing nearby. This is a powerful self hatred.

Anyway, the story is about two monsters in love with her. One is a hunter, and one is a killer. Well, theyre both killers, but only one is purely that.

The hunter is the patient type. He lays in wait, he looks for signs, clues, hes slow, methodical. He sees every detail and doesnt miss a single thing. Perfect at the job, the best in the world. He sees everything about Layla and loves her completely, he wants her for himself, he wants her to love him back.

The killer is not patient in any way. Hes a slave to his instincts, his desires, only seeking pleasure, not held back by taboos or the feelings of others. When he wants, he takes, and he feels such great pleasure from killing, it makes him greatly effective indeed. He desires Layla now, and is going to have her, there is no question. He calls it love, but really he just wants to possess her, he just wants the trophy, and when he imagines her, its still and silent and perfect.

The story begins in a large warehouse, and Layla waking up totally alone, and reads a note. Or maybe she hears a voice? And it tells her shes being hunted. She can try to escape, but its futile, and when shes found, theres going to be a great deal of fun had by one. If shes wondering why shes alone now, its because theres no sport to be had in just killing her now, and theyd rather make a great game of chasing her first. A chase is primal and good, very very good. So first they will chase, and then she is caught, and then there is more. But until then, she is free to try and get away, as futile as that is.

Layla is petrified of course, any sane person would be, but one thing she isnt is a meek coward. And she is determined to escape. And so she runs.

At least thats what ive got rattling around in my head right now. Maybe ill post more, but im not very good at writing.

[metfell]

reasons to vote for everyone:

bell: delightful shining soul. quote: "like if tommyinnit was a girl and married to cranboo and ran tmmyrp for 2 years" roleplayed as mr. beast on halloween. draws really nice tommy art. amazing builder /gensrs. gorgeous barns and cropfields. big into stardew valley.

boss: everyones favorite guybutch. dykefag supreme. he dreams of owning a blue ford 150 and draw almost every tubbo weve ever made. one of the two people to carry our system.

fern: cat. kitty cat. and he dance dance dance. hes a sweetheart, and people call him the people's cranboo on account of how frontstuck he was for like 7000 hours. he does a REALLY fun chirping stim that everyone hes ever spoken to has been obsessed with. married to bell.

ran: ..... ugh i guess ill compliment ran. ranboolive introject. literal biblical angel too sometimes. harlot. draws amazing ranboolive art. gets into vcs and argues with people for fun. only guy without executive dysfunction in the main fronters. got frontstuck for a month to save our asses from failing. kind of the mvp right now. also hes hot but its balanced out by him being a hardcore boober. big fan of vaguely erotic christianity.

selûne: beautiful name she got it from baldurs gate. latenightmining introject but does not run the blog. terrible builder. really gay but not as gay as fern idk if thats good or not. reblogs a lot of moon imagery, and is so sweet unless youre luke blissfali in which case she starts swinging. he/she/they/it user which is based.

stelle: everyones favorite enderman woman. you know her because our system cant shut the hell up about her. shes gorgeous, funny, caring, and loves to chase thes cquackity in minecraft like full on hunt his ass for sport. sounds like a valley girl. is the reason we are a system. makes gorgeous art of herself. loves fashion and makeup and pink tulips. ex-event horizon ranboo introject but shes her own woman now.

before trinket asks no i am not putting you in the poll. also ngl i feel like ppl will pick me just bc they dont really know the others so im not including myself in it. no multiple answers or other option you gotta choose from these guys. winner is going to gloat about it forever.

[lustyargonianmaid]

CP2077 OC ask game *:･ﾟ✧⚔️🤖🔮

PERSONAL. 1. what is their full name? do they have any nicknames? what are they and why did they get them? 2. how old are they? how long have they been living on their own? 3. what are their astrology signs? sun/moon/rising. 4. what tarot card from the major arcana would you associate with them? 5. are they religious or spiritual in any way? 6. which of the four elements would you associate with them? 9. which of the nine alignments are they? (lawful good etc) 10. which of the myers-briggs personality types are they? 11. do they have any cyberware? is it cosmetic or is it weaponry/armor? 12. what is their occupation? 13. if you were to choose a class for them, what would it be? 14. what is their weapon of choice? 15. what is their preferred vehicle or transportation of choice? 16. how would you describe their style? 17. are they a early riser or a night owl? 18. share three songs you associate with them. 

NIGHT CITY. 19. is your character from night city? if no, where were they born? what brought them to night city? if yes, what area of the city did they grow up? 20. where do they currently live? describe their home.  21. do they have any favorite spots around NC? 22. do they like to cook for themselves, or eat out? do they prefer restaurants or street food? and how do they feel about vending machine food? 23. do they prefer the city or the badlands? 24. what gang/faction/corporation do they align with, if any? 25. which radio station(s) is their favorite? 26. if they do merc work, do they have one dedicated fixer? if so, who? 27. have they ever had run ins with the badges? 28. are they quick to help a stranger in need or do they prefer to stay out of other peoples business? 29. do they have any favorite celebrities that frequent or live in NC? how would they feel meeting them?

RELATIONSHIPS. 30. is your friend a social butterfly or more of a loner? 31. who are their closest chooms in NC? 32. do they have anyone they would consider family? 33. what is/was their relationship like with their parents?  34. do they have siblings? 35. how would you describe their relationship with their family? 36. who is their biggest enemy? 37. tell a short story about your character with their best choom. 38. do they have a love interest? if so, who? 39. are they in a committed relationship or do they date around? 40. has your character ever been in love? if so, with who? 41. do they believe in soulmates? 42. do they believe in love at first sight? 43. describe their ideal date. 44. would your character ever get married? 45. what was your characters first impression of their partner(s)? 46. are they open about their relationship or low key? how would other people feel about them together? 47. share a headcanon about your character and their partner(s). 48. share three songs you associate with your character and their partner(s).

NSFW.  49. name three of your characters biggest turn ons. 50. name three of your characters biggest kinks. 51. do they like having multiple partners or do they prefer monogamy?  52. do they watch porn or braindances? 53. would your character ever make an explicit braindance? 54. do they have any cybernetic enhancements that serve sexual purposes? 55. do they have a preference for ‘ganic bodies or do they like modifications? 56. name three of your characters biggest turn offs. 57. what is their ultimate fantasy? or ““secret”“ kink? 58. would they ever use any substances like aphrodisiacs, alcohol or drugs during sex? 59. what is their wildest sexual experience? 60. are they more submissive or dominant? 61. does your character need to have an intimate relationship with someone to have sex? or do they prefer being unattached?  62. has your character ever participated in group sex? 63. do they like to sext or play over the holo? 64. has your character ever ghosted someone after a sexual encounter? 65. how would they react if they were ghosted by someone they like after a sexual encounter? 66. do they prefer kink oriented sex or spontaneous passionate sex? 67. how do they get down on their own? quick and easy or do they have to romance themselves a little? 68. in what outfit do they feel sexiest? how do they dress to impress? 69. do they like having music on while they have sex? share three songs they’d play while getting down. 

[thevirginwitch]

full moon folklore

It's said that each of the 10 days following a full moon holds a magic all its own, and that those who pay heed to the individual attributes and use them as prescribed below can expect to become very powerful, indeed. Please note that these are only folklore/myths, so take this information with a grain of salt!

First Day: This is an excellent time to begin new projects and get new businesses off the ground. It's also an especially lucky day for babies to be born, as these children are said to live exceptionally long, healthy, and prosperous lives. In fact, the only downside to this day at all has to do with illness, as becoming sick now apparently results in an extremely lengthy recuperation period.

Second Day: There is absolutely nothing unlucky about this day; in fact, it vibrates toward riches of all sorts. This is an exceptional time for both merchandise sales and bargain-hunting, and crops and gardens are also said to thrive if planted now.

Third Day: This is not a good day to be born, for it's believed that the children in question are not only likely to be weak, frail, and sickly, but will remain so throughout their lives. Personal theft also seems to make the rounds today. The only upside is that thieves are more likely to be caught in short order — but whether they'll be caught with your belongings is anybody's guess!

Fourth Day: If you're planning to make repairs to your property or redecorate or remodel your home, now is the time to do it. In fact, this day bodes well for anything having to do with building or construction. It's also said that children born on this day are very likely to embrace political careers, but that early training, especially regarding the difference between right and wrong, is imperative to their future successes.

Fifth Day: Known as the "weather marker," it's said that the rest of the month will mirror today's weather. My sources also tell me that this is the best day of the month to conceive a child. I don't know whether this is true or not; however, if babies aren't high on your priority list, a bit of extra precaution might be in order here!

Sixth Day: This is a great day to kick back, relax, and do something nice for yourself. And since it bodes well for making memories, a vacation begun today could prove to be the most fun-filled ever. It's also said to be a very lucky day for hunting, fishing, and outdoor sports of all types.

Seventh Day: Apparently, opportunities simply abound for finding that perfect mate today. So, if you're unattached and looking, get out there and see what this day has to offer. You've got nothing to lose, and you might just get lucky!

Eighth Day: Be very careful of your health today, for it's believed that those who get sick today may not recover, and those who do are likely to be exceptionally weak for some time.

Ninth Day: If you want to keep your good looks, don't gaze upon the Moon today. In fact, you might want to sleep in a totally darkened room, for it's said that if any of tonight's moonlight touches your face, the Moon will certainly steal away all of its beauty.

Tenth Day: Patience is the keyword here, especially when dealing with children born on this day. They're not only said to be hyperactive, opinionated, and headstrong, but may lack even so much as a shred of respect for any sort of authority.

[spinaroos-47]

Part two of three of my commentary about ASIAS!

This one will have screenshots! Not the most good looking ones, still new at it, but still screenshots!

Flying derby looks so much more fun than grudgby in my opinion, I guess I just like non ball sports

THEM

I LOVE THIS IMAGE SO MUCH ILL CHERISH IT FOREVER ITS ALL I COULD HAVE ASKED FOR THIS HAS MADE UP FOR ME WAKING UP AT 5AM BECAUSE OF THE EPISODE

They befriended, this is so lovely :,3

(And all of their outfits are great)

Emerald entrails is not really that subtle but its also a great name, AND THEY STILL KEPT THE NAME AT THE END OF THE EPISODE

Fucking donkey

Interestingly enough, the lack of the cape did make the dissonance I got from his GG outfit in Separate Tides and the first half-ish of Hunting Palismen not happen. I guess seeing his hair and ears helps on avoiding that djjsdfjd (also the little staff twirl he did here was really nicely animated)

Steve is a fucking mvp, I think him going “Steve is beggining to regret his choices” is a good segway to the promo screenshot we got of him in a motorbike. Him and Hunter being buddies was great, I love that it’s not just Lilith that appreciates him

“I think Hunter is too” Almost made me scream and I would have if it wasn’t 6am when i was watching this. I’m so sure this is the start of his big turning point, these friendships he made are being SO important for him

The initiations he mentioned more than once are making me think that this will return in Labyrinth Runners in some way. I don’t know how but I hope he appears on there too then. Belos taking the palismen away also make me ponder why Lilith didn’t lose hers (thank god she didn’t, I love that little guy). 

(Also great commentary/criticism of the military)

That slight paralel to Hunting Palismen, with Hunter now sneaking into the flying ship was sooooo good

Pain and suffering and pain and suffering AND LILITH (i love how you can see her finger on the photo dsnjdnjnjd. and the small comeback Alador did fdjsdjnd also I don’t know how to feel about Alador looking so much like my dad)

Also this is a funny frame to have paused on jfdjdfsndfs

Willow, you made me tear up some three times on this episode, I just want the best for you, you deserve so much better

Darius change of behaviour was really surprising, and weirdly really sweet, he also kinda reexamined his own bias against Hunter which was good. He sewed better the sigil on his cape and im assuming got him a scroll to make a penstagram account to interact with more kids his age and thats really nice.

“Are you going to tell him about your secret palisman?” And now I’m scared again for Flapjack. But its good that Darius isn’t going to tell about all this to Belos, thats also really nice

This really settled for me the theory that he and Eber will join Raine and do *something*. I was already on board with the theory but didn’t know how that would happen, from what little we had about Darius before this episode. And we might get more, seeing how Reaching Out will be about abominations a lot, with Amity and Alador and what not.

This episode was really good for Darius, gave him even more nuance than he had before, even with him not appearing that much compared to the other characters. (Also his abomination sweater. Glorious)

A little less related to the plot of the episode, I feel like the animation looks a bit different on 2B but i don’t know how to explain it

I still will make the part three about the Lumity c plot but I’ll round out my thoughts about the main plots of the episodes here

It was my favorite episode of 2B for now, I loved how it was kinda low stakes but kinda high stakes too and how the a plot (willow’s) and b plot (hunter’s) merged into one basically, and also how lumity didn’t really steal the spotlight from this episode like in TTLGR, which is a criticism I have about season 2, and also I haven’t seen much of the fandom reaction and most the ones I follow already are focused on Hunter too but it’s nice that in the show it wasn’t like that again

This was really fun!

[foulserpent]

i really like ill met by moonlight as a quest tho i think its a very good rendition of hircine

like first of all having you hunt and slay hircine as a sacred animal is great (actually makes use of the fact that hes a god of hunting and should in theory be as concerned with the game as he is the hunters). and the hunt of sinding you participate in actually does seem "sporting" in terms of it being truly dangerous game, and his delight if you overcome the hunting party and succeed as the prey.

my only complaint kinda is how he does try to have you kill sinding at the end, not bc "omg thats meannnnnnnn they should have daedric princes be nice instead of mean :(" but that feels very at odds with like. His Whole Thing. like i dont think killing via deception/betrayal or in open combat is something hes going to be all that impressed with